Can closing machine



July 14, 1931. s. A. BENNETT CAN CLOS ING MACHINE Filed Feb. 25. 1929 Patented July 14, 1931 STEVENS A. BENNETT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS can CLOSING mourn-E Application filed. February 25, 1929. Serial No. 342,615.

This machine is for the purpose of fastening or crimping can tops or covers on cans or pails and also for fastening similar covers on barrels having specially constructed heads for receiving such covers. Such covers are usually provided with lugs or rings which are bent or crimped in under the bead of the container in order to make a tight closure.

Heretofore closing machines of this charact er have been provided but have usually been constructed with narrow jaws so that the cover or ring will be crimped only at intermediate points around the periphery thereof, and if a substantially continuous crimping or closing was desired it would require the shifting and operation of the closing machine a number of times in order to make a closure entirely around the cover.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a closing machine of this character preferably having relatively wide closing jaws and having suflicient power or leverage so that such j aws may be actuated by the operator in order to crimp the corresponding portions of the cover to proper closing position. The arrangement is such that on account of the wide jaws one operation only will usually be necessary to close around the entire periphery. Other objects are to provide an improved can closing machine which will be simple in construction and durable in operation and to provide such other improvements and meritorious features as will be described morefully in the following specification.

In the accompanying drawings illustrat-.

ing this invention Figure 1 is a front View with parts broken away or shown in section;

Figure 2 is a plan view;

Figure 3 is a detail of the pivot construction for the radially arranged jaw links; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged View of one of the closing jaws.

The base or annular frame 5 has a rim- 6 with a shoulder 7 which fits within an annular recess in the can cover. The rim is connected to a central hub 35 by spokes 36 which are raised or recessed at 37 to clear any spouts 5 or nozzles 0n the covers. This provides a light and rigid construction. The base or. frame has pairs of outwardly extending lugs or projections 8 between which the crimping members 9 are carried on pivots 10. Each crimping member comprises a lever having a segmental aw or gripping portion 11 at the lower end which engages with the lug or ring of the cover to ben d the same inwardly; Each of the crimping members 9 is connected by means of a link 12 with an outwardly proj ecting flange 13 on a collar 14 which is slidably mounte d on a toothed post or rack 15 which is secured to the hub 35 of the frame 5. The upper ends of the links 12 are pivoted- The sleeve wardly proje 1y extending or collar 14 has a pair of upcting brackets 20 with outwardbearings 21 and 22, the whole going to form a headblock for supporting various operating parts.

Segmental gears 23 and 24 are pivotally mounted in the bear-- ings 21 and 22 and engage with the opposite sides of the and 24 are p atlng arms or double rack 15. The gears 23 rovided respectively with oper levers 25 and 26 having handles 27 and 28 at their upper ends.

A slidable rod or catch member 29 is mounted in b lower end is a segmental upper end of 32 which is in proximity to the handle 28.

spring 33 is earings 30 on the lever 26 and its adapted to engage at times with lug 31 on the bearing 22. The this rod is bent to form a handle A interposed between one of the bearings 30 and a collar 34 on the rod 29 and serves to press the rod downwardly to engage with the lug.

In closing operator pla the can witl position, as

a can with this machine, the cos the machine on the top of 1 the arms 25 and 26 in raised shown in Figure 1. He then draws up on the handle 32 to release the catch 29 and presses downwardly on the handles 27 and 28.

This causes the gears to roll or move down along the racks and simultaneously the sleeve 14 is forced downwardly. T hiscauses the links 12 to swing the upper ends of the levers 9 outwardly, and the ends or jaws move in to engage with the cover or fastening ring and crimp it under the bead or rim of the pail. After the jaws have moved inwardly beyond the edge of the rim or bead, they serve in a measure to hold the machine down so that during the further closing or crimping action of the machine the tendency of the gears to raise the center post or rack 15 is resisted by the pull on the jaws, thereby confining the closing action to the pinching of the cover and bead between the jaws and the coacting parts of the frame or rim 6. On account of the powerful leverage obtained by means of the novel arrangement of the gears and rack and the toggle action between the collar or head piece 14 and the jaws, a powerful closing action is obtained by comparatively small force applied by the operator to the handles. This enables the use of wider jaws as indicated in Figure 4 which are preferably so proportioned that the operator may make one closing movement to complete the closure, or may make one movement and then rotate the machine through approximately the length of one of the jaws and then make another closing action which will completely crimp the cover or closing ring throughout the circumference thereof.

The closing of the ring in this manner instead of intermittently has been found to be advantageous as the cover is thereby held more securely in position.

My improved closing machine may bemodified to adapt it for different sizes or types of covers or containers, and I do not wish to limit myself to the details of construction, except as specified in the following claims, in which I claim:

1. A can closing machine comprising a base adapted to engage with a can cover, a post mounted in the center of the base and having oppositely disposed racks thereon, a headblock slidably mounted on said post, a plurality of jaws pivoted around the base and adapted to coact therewith for crimping the can covers, links pivoted to the jaws and to the headblock, segmental gears mounted in the headblock and engaging with the rack, levers secured to said gears, handles on said levers, and a catch coacting with one of said levers and adapted to engage with a stop on the headblock for holding the parts in adjusted position.

2. A can closing machine comprising a wheel having a rim adapted to engage with a recess in the can cover, closing jaws pivoted to said rim, a bar secured'to the hub of the wheel and having teeth on the opposite sides thereof, a sleeve engaging with said bar and r havin an outwardl ro'ectin flan e with an annular recess in the lower side thereof, a ring engaging with said recess, links pivoted on said ring and pivoted to the jaws, a collar having outwardly projecting fingers for engagen'lent with the ring, means for holding the collar in position, brackets extending upwardly from the sleeve, gears mounted in said brackets and engaging with the teeth in the bar, and handle levers secured to said gears.

3. In a closing machine, the combination of closing jaws, a movable member, a split ring engaging with said movable member, links connecting the jaws with the split ring, and means for holding the ring in engagement with said member.

4. In a closing machine of the character set forth, the combinaiion of a base, jaws pivoted to said base, a central post secured to the base, a aw actuating member slidably mounted on the post and having an annular recess therein, a ring in said recess, links pivoted on said ring and pivoted to the respective jaws, means secured to said member for holding the ring in the recess, and means coacting with the post and said member for actuating said member.

STEVENS A. BENNETT. 

